Trader Joe’s Wine: Penfolds Rawson’s Retreat, 2008

/2 Comments/in , /by
Penfold's Rawson's Retreat, 2008

Penfold's Rawson's Retreat, 2008

A Wine Moment with Delaina, the sipping continues….

There are a number of reasons that I choose to purchase a wine. Sometimes it is a recommendation, sometimes because of a tasting (ohhh thanks Trader Joe’s), but there is one more, slightly odd reason…

Sometimes wines call to me and make me purchase because of their labels. If they have a cool label that I like, then somehow I feel that the wine inside will also be to my liking. Another, less glamorous reason that pushes me to buy a particular bottle is based on if the bottle has a cork or screw top. Yes, this makes me really sound like a boozer, but I had a good reason, really!

Here is the full story: We were visiting some friends who are not wine drinkers and I forgot my wine opener.  I remembered this as we were heading off to Trader Joe’s to pick up some appetizers (and wine) to nibble on before dinner. Ugh!

So as you can imagine I bought this wine because it had a screw top. I must admit that I stood and contemplated this purchase for a minute. See, once upon a time I thought wines with screw tops wines were crap!  But now I admit that this is no longer the case. The second reason that made me stop and think about my purchase was that this wine was Australian, and again, once upon a time, Australian wines were too sweet for my tastes.  But that personal myth has recently been overturned, and so I took the plunge and purchased wine that had both a screw top and a “cool” lable.

The wine I purchased was:  Penfolds’s 2008 Rawson’s Retreat, which was a blend of a Shiraz and a Cabernet Sauvignon. WOW, this wine was a pleasant surprise. It is no back alley twist-top yucky sweet wine. This red has a great blend of boldness and only cost 5.99 at Trader Joes.  Such a deal!

Now to be truthful, this is not a wine that I would drink alone, but it pairs nicely with roasted chicken and potatoes. Or if you are having a “tapas night”  it pairs nicely with a sharp cheese such as  Kerrygold Dubliner cheese imported from Ireland sold at Trader Joes and Trader Joe’s Pitted Kalamata Olives- yes we tried it:)   In fact I think this wine would pair nicely with almost anything.

However, having said that, I would not recommend having it with Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken – and yes, I tried it 🙁   The sweet Oriental flavors were not the best match for this bold and dare I say dryish wine, by Australian standards.

Nonetheless, is a great wine that will complement most foods,  but might be a bit too complex for beginning wine drinkers.

If you enjoyed this Wine Moment with Delaina, please take a minute to leave us a comment below. Even if you just want to say hello we just love to hear from all of you!

Trader Joe’s Wine: Vola Trebbiano Pinot Grigio

/19 Comments/in , /by

A Wine Moment with Delaina, the sipping continues….This wine moment with Delaina, is featuring a wine from Trader Joe’s May 2010 Frequent Flyer, Vola Trebbiano Pinot Grigio.

Trader Joes featured quite a few wines in their recent Frequent Flyer, so of course I had to try two of them.  I am, at all times, open to trying new wines, and I especially like to try those that Trader Joe’s promotes in the store and in their advertising.

The first one I tried is a Pinot Grigio blend that offers a refreshing taste. For those of you that do not know, Trader Joes is featuring this great wine for only$1.99. WOW-  Vola which is a happy blend of Trebbiano and Pinot Grigio grapes.

I usually like Pinot Grigio grapes and wines’  in general, but I have to say that this one is just fabulous. This wine has an almost fruity-pine taste to me which pairs nicely with salads, and strong cheeses like the Dubliner or smoke Gouda, both of which can also be found at Trader Joes.

And let’s not forget the value! For the price of $1.99 I can even imagine myself buying a case of this wine and then sharing it with friends on a warm summer evening on my patio. Oh wait I don’t have a patio. Well then I would give some bottles away as “just thinking of you summer gifts.” And hope that my friends will invite me to their patios to sit under the stars and enjoy this wine (Hey I will bring the cheese and crackers, OK?)

So if you were curious about Vola Trebbiano Pinot Grigio and wondered what it was like, or if this wine was any good, we say relax and buy a bottle today ( or actually,  the next time you are at Trader Joe’s).

Cheers!

Trader Joe’s Wine “Big Day” from Pancake Cellars

/9 Comments/in , /by
Pancake Cellars Big Day Wine

Pancake Cellars Big Day Wine

This wine moment is special because it is one of the few that that will feature a white wine. Yeah I still will post about white wines but they most likely will be overshadowed by the red wine posts.
This white wine came from Trader Joe’s of course and I believe it was $5.99. Big Day is a 2009 white from Pancake Cellars. Big Day is a blend of 5 different grapes: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc; Viognier, Muscat Canelli, and Pinot Blanc.

The first time I had this wine was for a graduation party, Kris’s folks were in town and I knew the liked white wine. As it was a “big day” I thought the name was fitting. Well, it is May again and I found that I was actually craving this wine. I am so glad that Trader Joe’s offers it because now that I have found it, I have new respect and curiosity to try more white wines.

In my assessment this wine is a “big” wine. This is the most complex white wine I have ever tasted. The label says you can serve it with “Thai green curry, turkey sandwiches, chicken apple sausages, or pesto anything.”

I would agree with the label and say it does goe with everything. In fact one night hot night we had a simple late night dinner with just apples and a smoked Gouda cheese (yes we got all of those for Trader Joe’s) and this wine was a very nice complement. Even though it is only May, this would be the perfect summer wine. It is light and fruity and refreshing on a hot summer night. Or even a warm May evening in Tucson, when it is already 90 during the day.

The label further describes this wine as featuring flavors “white peach, apple and cantaloupe, along with orange blossom, honeysuckle and lemongrass.” My pallet is not sophisticated enough to pick up all of those flavors but I would agree with the cantaloupe and honeysuckle as these are favorite flavors of mine.

So give this wine a try the next time you are looking for a great wine for a hot evening.

I hope you all enjoy this wine as much as I have…oops…did!

For more information about this wine, checkout my short video on the front of this blog, or click to view our wine videos and more on You Tube  HERE.

Trader Joe’s Wine Monte Ducay Reserva

/8 Comments/in , /by

I thought I would give some more details to my Wine Moments with Delaina video. This month we  featured Monte Ducay Reserva 2005 from Carinena, Espana.

The wine is on the dry side with a nicely complex flavor. The color is a rich ruby red and with a little air the drinker could get lost in the bottle. Seriously… this is a serious red wine from Spain. I would definitely buy it again.

Trader Joes offers this beauty for $5.99 in Tucson and it was worth every cent.

If you want to try this wine I would suggest paring it Manchego cheese (also from Spain), which conveniently Trader Joe’s sells (I am sure that Kris will feature it at some point). As for a main dish suggestion,  this wine would of course pair nicely with a vegetarian, seafood, or meat laden paella.

As this is my first posted wine review, from my new series Wine Moments With Delaina there are some things you should know about your reviewer before you put to much stock in to my wine taste.

1. I can drink red wine with anything- even eggs (although that does not happen very often — and never for breakfast).

2. I am for the most part a red wine fan.

3. As summer nears I am sure I will feature a white wine that has been lightly chilled, but in general,  I like to drink my wine on the “warmer” side.   I feel like the flavors of wine are smother and more evident when the wine is warmer. When I am in a restaurant that serves a cold or “chilled” wine, especially a white wine, I don’t feel as if I get the full flavor of the wine until the end of the glass, when it has had a chance to warm up a bit.

So now that you know my tastes I hope that my opinions, as they come, will help pair you with some great wines that in my opinion are rich treasures at Trader Joes.

Just in case you forgot to click on the weekly video, here again is my first video in the Wine Moments With Delaina series.

Cheers!